Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Levi Riggs:

Hillbilly Superstar and There's Still A Place for That

I didn't know who Levi Riggs was at the time, until I went to work on July 18, 2013. He was to be the first opening act for Travis Tritt at Freedom Hill Amphitheatre in Sterling Heights, MI. Originally, the only opener was the Kentucky Headhunters but Levi Riggs was a last minute addition. It had been pouring rain that evening and wouldn't stop until later that evening. There wasn't a huge crowd of people in the pavilion when he took the stage that night along with his band. Most of the people who had arrived early for the concert that evening were treated to an awesome performance by a young talented up and comer from Indiana. Levi Riggs performed a total of eight songs that evening. The crowd seemed to enjoy the music they were hearing. I wasn't as familiar with his music as some in the crowd seemed to be. I did enjoy myself, he has an awesome voice and an amazing band.Three of the songs in his set list from that night came from his albumHillbilly Superstar. He sang the title track from the album along with "Easy" and "My Best Friend's A Girl." "Down Home Boy" another song from his list comes off his album There's Still A Place For That. The other four songs he performed that night came from his yet to be released album I'm Good which is due to be released on Aug. 20, 2013. Through out his entire performance Levi made it a point to introduce himself to the crowd. He definitely wanted people to get to know him a little better by telling them to join him on Facebook and Twitter. He even said that if you follow him on Twitter that he would follow you back. He even suggested the audience visit his website leviriggs.com for more information about him and his music. By the end of his set everyone knew his name and where to find him when they got home. Even though I wasn't watching the stage I heard every beautiful word he sang. When I got home after the show ended I went straight to my Twitter account so that I could follow Levi Riggs. A few minutes later I had a new follower, Levi Riggs. He was definitely true to his word. I posted a couple tweets which got favorite by Levi Riggs. I also logged into Spotify to see if I could listen to any of Levi's music. Sure enough both of his albums were available on Spotify. I started listening to all the tracks on Hillbilly Superstarvia Spotify. I also went to Levi's website to find that I could sign up for Exclusive Access to receive seven songs of his for free. A video and free downloadable song a day what could be better. He even responded to some of my tweets and the message I wrote to him on Facebook.The first downloadable song was "Hillbilly Superstar" the title track from the album of the same name. It's a song about a guy who's entertaining his family at the backyard barbecue and he only has three strings on his dad's guitar. He doesn't care cause he wants to rock out like Elvis. I never heard a song I could sing along with only after listening to it just once. This song was amazing. I loved the lyrics they were so easy to recall that I actually started hearing it being played in my head. I also found that it is a great song to listen to while walking the dog or even working out. Its also easy to dance to.In the first video I learned that his early influences were Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and Harry Chapin along with Alabama's harmonies.

He got his first taste of what it might be like to be a country singer in the fifth grade musical where he sang the John Micheal Montgomery song "Sold." He walked up into the crowd and sang the song to his teacher. In high school he was in four musicals, three of which he was the lead. He starred in Bye Bye Birdie where he played the lead. Decked out in a gold suit he rocked the stage as the girls swoon around him. He realized this is what it might be like down the road.He went to Purdue University after high school. He got his degree in Agriculture Sales and Marketing. He also was a part of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club. When he got his conformation call that he got into the Glee Club he was working at his family's dairy farm in the dairy parlor.The second song "F-150" was released as a single on Feb. 6, 2010 for download from Amazon and iTunes. Its a song about a guy having fun in his '92 F-150. It's also a love song about a girl the guy was in love with at the time. It has a great beat to it and the lyrics are memorable which is always a good thing for me. I love listening to it when I take my dog for a walk. Its another song you can sing along with and never miss a beat. The only way to get this song is by downloading it but its definitely worth the money in my opinion. It's one of those song you just can't get out of your head.The song for day three was "Tailgate Time" another song released as a single and only available on download. It was released Aug. 26, 2010. It's a song about having a good time with friends in the parking lot of your favorite football team. It's about being a great fan whose committed to his favorite team. I love this song even if I'm not a big fan of football. I love the idea of being a committed fan. I'm a committed hockey fan whose devoted to my favorite team even when they are down. He performed this song at the Superbowl in January 2011. He got to meet his idol Randy Travis when he performed "Tailgate Time" at the Superbowl."My Best Friend's A Girl" is the number four song and track two off of Hillbilly Superstar. The song is about a guy who's wife is always bugging him about going down to Disney World as well as having babies. Another great song from Levi Riggs and one that is definitely worth a listen. If you have Spotify this another song that deserves to be listened to over and over again. Its a great song to listen to especially if your best friend's a girl. So far all four songs have been incredible and I love listening to them. I even got a friend of mine to sign up for his video/song a day. Can't go wrong with a free song that you can download and put onto your iPod or your mp3 player. Day five was a song entitled "Down Home Boy" which comes from his album There's Still A Place For That. This song talks about raising your kids up with morals and values with grandma's bible and grandpa's rifle, everything that makes America strong and it all relies on agriculture. He took everything he learned in the FFA and applied to every aspect of his life and even his music career. So far every song is note worthy and definitely worth purchasing. All his songs are great to take with you on a walk with your dog. I find myself singing along with the music as I'm walking. I don't care who hears me because where I live its 100 times better than the crap I hear coming from cars that drive down the street. Day six I downloaded the song "Easy" which also appears on Levi's album Hillbilly Superstar. There isn't much to say about this song except that its awesome. He has a great time performing on stage with his band and the fans make it "Easy." I've never seen another artist who seems to have a great connection with his audience. The next time he's in town I'm gonna make sure I get tickets. His music really appeals to me. It puts you in a good mood and it makes you smile. The last day of his week of free music ends with "There's Still A Place For That" which is the title track of the album with the same name. He filmed his first music video using this song. The song is about there still being a place for morals in this country, there's still a place for God, about respecting your parents and your elders, treating people the way you want to be treated. These are all messages that connect with Levi. So far I've downloaded seven amazing songs each one unique as well as memorable. If you've read this blog all the way through to the end then I think you need to definitely check out Levi Riggs. I guarantee you won't be sorry, I wasn't and neither was my friend. You can listen to his music on Spotify for free and then go to his website leviriggs.com to sign up for the Exclusive Access and get seven free songs. Who can beat getting something for free. My advice is take advantage of what you can get for free. If you like what you hear then by all means go purchase his albums either getting a hard copy or downloading them. I can only seem to find them at either amazon.com or on iTunes. Both albums were released in Aug. 2011 and are available for download on both Amazon or iTunes, but the only place to find a hard copy of both albums is on Amazon. His new album I'm Good was released on Aug. 20, 2013 but is currently only available for download from iTunes and Amazon.

I sure do hope you enjoy Levi Rigg's music as much as I have. Please remember to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. If you like his music send him a Tweet. I'm sure you'll get a reply or even have it favorited. Remember if you follow him on Twitter he'll follow you back.Thanks you for taking the time to read this.